NBA's 60 Greatest Playoff Moments: #11

[LetMeEatFlesh]

He didn't even turn around.

[PerfectLife131]

HOW THE FUCK!! IS THIS # 11?? U FUCKING MORON

[RAWRRRRRGASM]

HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!

[rattlehead54321]

Did anyone reconize when Sampson made the shot Michael Cooper fainted

[elilly6644]

@TheAntihero6212 Yeah, he didn't win anything unless you count those 3 Naismiths.

[TxStorm72]

Gives me chills every time.



[Sal30]

This was a great moment, but Sampson getting a silver dollar off the backboard and leaving change when he was in college would have been even better. Sampson couldn't touch the top of the backboard when he first arrived at college. He increased his squat from 225 lbs to over 500lbs in months and increased his standing vertical to 36" his freshman year. He should have increased the height of the rim to 12'6" in the 1984 dunk contest and he would have won.

[TheAntihero6212]

This is one of the most underrated miracle moments in sports history. Not just NBA history. Thumbs up if you agree.

[whobitmyname]

How come this video NEVER EVER has another angle or a slo-mo?

[DavidChaeApia123]

So can somebody tell me what exactly happened? Did he catch the ball in mid air and made the shot behind his head or did he jump, spin 180 degrees and shoot all before he landed?

[whobitmyname]

@DavidChaeApia123 The first one. He flipped it over his head.

[TheAntihero6212]

@lovre1996 Who, Ralph Sampson? More like one of the greatest wastes of talent in the history of sports. Never won ANYTHING in College or NBA. Only went to 1 Final Four in College and 1 NBA Final in the Pros. And the even more crazier thing is, his son may turn out even worse than him.

[mattdrummer34]

@TheAntihero6212 You have to be kidding me the man should have one more in college but in the nba he had three knee surgerys so his career was cut really short

[futball247]

NBA: Where Amazing Happens!!

[sbh123yt]

Never seen it before. Unbelievable

[TxStorm72]

My favorite buzzer beater of all time.

[jakeeboy2]

lol wut? I hear you all say 0.o

[ace94d]

...How'd he DO that?

[Nnetherborn]

@chabowker rofl i'm pretty far away from that to been a lakers fan but face it that is not even a shot

[Nnetherborn]

cmon thats not even a shot

[chabowker]

@Nnetherborn You're seriously hating on this shot? Obvious Laker fan is obvious.

[Threeballer97]

I like to think I'm related to Ralph since we share the same last name, however I am a pasty lanky white boy.

[hailhopes]

i remeber that i was just a young buck back then

[mmabuff101]

the derek fisher shot, before there was derek fisher haha

[thenintendogamer]

If only Sampson didn't get injured.... We might have had a dynasty? If only Yao and T-Mac didn't get injured... We might have had another dynasty? Rockets have such a horrible history with injuries...

[shakkalol]

@thenintendogamer

You forgot Steve Francis :(

[molonlave2010]

@shakkalol who? lol

[SmoothMM]

@molonlave2010 Stevie Franchise... If only he didn't get traded. His career went downhill from there... Kind of like T-Mac's...

[tharock220]

It's too bad this Houston team fell apart the way it did. In Hakeem's 2nd year these guys beat the Showtime Lakers, and took arguably the best team in NBA history to 6 games. These guys don't get injured and become drug addicts and this team potentially steals titles away from Jordan, Isiah, and Magic.

[MrUlcards1]

how the fuck did he make that. that was insane

[abysmalatrocious]

Haha!! Michael Cooper faints in disbelief!

[h0930462486]

wtf!!! crazy shot

[Jphu8414]

wtf? thats crazy

[hinika]

Badass shot!

[shizzmogris]

How da hell do you make that shot!!!!!

[IrishGuyKev]

Another amazing fact about this game is that the Rockets never led the Lakers while there was time left. For 48 minutes the Lakers had the lead or were tied with the Rockets. It was only AFTER time had expired in the 4th quarter that the ball went through the net. I remember it like it was yesterday. Amazing!

[beez1219]

If it wasnt for the injuries my cousin would be in the hall of fame!!!!!

[frusionnn]

@beez1219 who's your cousin?

[pleshe91]

@beez1219 yeah dude i wanna know too...maybe he's just playin :P

[airjordan486]

the lakers were by far the better team? they lost the series 4-1

[guttedalive]

@airjordan486 - I agree with you. You are 100% correct. I'm a Lakers fan but Houston slammed them in this series. With or without the Ralph Sampson shot.

[TheBrainMachine78]

To all the "what if?" Rockets fans out there, ask the 1990 Phoenix Suns how much beating the Showtime Lakers in the playoff series guarantees you down the line.

[ChrisnSnoop]

I assume it was 3 Boston fans who disliked this video... But come the freak on, that was an amazing shot! Even sour Boston fans can admit this without shame!

[aaali1234]

@ChrisnSnoop why would boston fans hate the vid? dont you mean l.a. fans?

[ChrisnSnoop]

@aaali1234

Woops, I probably commented on the wrong video. Thanks for catching that.

[cubsfan4life33]

I hate videos that have a ton of replays, but one replay would have been nice.

[r1cw]

No one would even remember Ralph Sampson if it wasn't for this lame ass shot. Lakers were the far better team but they looked past Houston and it cost them.

[Angelslover9]

rockets really ruined the lakers to go to the finals all 80s years and more celtic rematches.

BOO Olajawon and Sampson! I LOVE LA! Nice Shot

[ReadyFreddie2009]

this should be number one, we're talking about a no look shot aaaaand from behind .... it's non sense that it ended up at number 11

[Ronarks]

that shot broke my heart, but they were the better team hands down.

[davd1986]

NBA World Title?

[jklolugetit]

@davd1986 yeah they assume that america's the best at basketball so if you win the nba title your the best team in the world

[driver8train]

that play should be rated higher on the list....top five in my opinion

[MrSlik25]

theY maDe ThaT looK prEtty eASy...but a pretty much indefensble shot by Ralph.

[MasonsInquiries]

nice shot by ralph.......

[playoffexpert1]

i dont like that court, the one the lakers had at the end of the forum was better cuz it had their colors

[maxedwell]

This shot shouldn't be number one not because it wasn't a great play, but because the Rockets were in control throughout the series. 4 games to 1 says it all. This shot was just the nail in the coffin as the Rockets finished off their domination of the Lakers.

Then again, this list the NBA came up w/ is silly when you look at the the order in which they placed the "Playoff Moments" How does Jordan's shot end up #1? Because the NBA was playing off the Jordan hype.

[playoffexpert1]

exactky, but u have to remember that was the end of his bulls career and it did win the championship, but as i said earlier, things wouldve played out differently if calls were made

[TheBrainMachine78]

The consensus GOAT ending his Bulls career by hitting a game-winning shot in the NBA Finals to capture his 6th world championship is most definitely worthy of being #1. It's probably the single most recognized "moment" in NBA history, and that's what this list is all about.

[TxStorm72]

This should be #1! The outcome of that shot with the fact that it was such a lucky shot just adds to the greatness of that moment!

[THEGREATMIAH777]

olajuwon and mitch "cupcheck " got in a fight earlier in dis game

[Chocl8ThundR747]

it shouldnt be number 1 cuz we all know that that was lucky

[smokalot187]

i want to see a replay or different angles

[lilmikyb]

did he just shoot the ball backwards? :O WOW

[mimi071483]

the west was lucky ralph sampson fucked up his knee the next year, or that rockets team would have been in the finals atleast until the 90's....Hell they beat the lakers dynasty in 86... when Magic and co. were in their prime.

[Mamba219]

That Rockets team was tailored to destroy the Lakers. Two massive athletic big men against a 39 year old center in Kareem, and perimeter players who could take away the crucial defensive rebounding from Magic and could defend him fairly well to boot.

Too bad Sampson got fucked up and two of the Rocket's good perimeter players got kicked out of the league for drugs.

The Lakers should retire the phone number of their drug dealer or something, he basically gave them 2 more championships.

[TheBrainMachine78]

Fluke team. Houston couldn't even get past the Supersonics the following with a relatively healthy Sampson making good contributions, so spare me this dynasty in the making bullshit. They caught LA napping in '86 and burned them. LA in turned came back the following year with their best team and crushed everyone on their way to the title. No way was soft Sampson and his merry band of cokeheads beating LA that year.

[maxedwell]

Injuries happen all the time & it's impossible to know what would have happened.

If McHale didn't have a broken foot (and Laimbeer kicking it) in 87, maybe the Celtics woulda repeated. If Magic, Byron, Worthy & Cooper weren't heavily hobbled in '89, maybe the Lakers three-peat. More devastating all-NBA injuries:

Hakeem's back

Duncan in 2000

Grant Hill's best years

Kareem in '80 (Laker's won anyhow)

Isiah in 88

Plus, 86 wasn't the Lakers prime. McAdoo was gone & there was no Mychal Thompson.

[marianodiazzz]

Number 1

[the1sin]

wtf this should be number 1

[lathanbrown1]

@the1sin : well, i believe that Michael Jordan deserved that number 1 spot.

[jcogz437]

WHAT

AMZING

is that even humanly possible

[romethesislo]

how in the hell?

[hellomotoiamazn]

Welcome to the NBA.

[adrian3hello]

if this was game 7 it would be 1#

[KWCline91]

That would be something! But the Lakers needed to win Games 5 and 6 to force Game 7 back in LA

[Erikhaos]

how the fuck??

[nykballaz]

ralph sampsan was nasty

[sufyan32]

that was kind of lucky

[joeshab123]

I see Kareem made his usual intense defensive effort...

[doobiesz]

I watched this game with my dad as a little kid.

Cried myself to sleep.

[liweiwu007]

that was 23 years ago, you must be in your 30's now.

[doobiesz]

Certain things are impossible to forget.

[liweiwu007]

you are a gaykers fan then? are you a girl?

[doobiesz]

Yeah, born and raised in LA. My dad had me watching Lakers games before I knew what Basketball was. Indoctrined fan here.

No, I'm not a girl. When I was a kid I lived and died with the Lakers, especially during the playoffs. That win or die mentality has died down over the years, though.

Almost any fan that has been a life long fan of an organization has cried at a tough loss at one point or another.

What team do you cheer for?

[liweiwu007]

certainly not a gaykers fan

[doobiesz]

No, I did not ask what fans you cheer for, I asked what team?

Btw, Gaykers is a lot better than Fakers

=)

[liweiwu007]

the orlando magic

[doobiesz]

Great, great win tonight, man!

You must be fucking stoked. Lewis tore some hearts out tonight. If I was an Orlando fan watching Pietrus try and guard LeBron on that last possession I would probably have had a nervous break down.

It'll be an intense series. You guys have absoultely no match up for LeBron and they have no match up for Howard.

Peace

[liweiwu007]

shit when james hit that improbable layup that fouled out howard i thought we was gonna lose. but lewis man he save da day fo us. now we just gots to focus and try to steal game 2 on friday.

[bashmo]

Dude, I really respect your comments man. Hopefully It will be Orlando vs LA in the finals. That way it will be really tight, and a great series to watch. Again, your respect on Youtube impresses me.

[liweiwu007]

too bad shaq ain't in LA no more otherwise it would be great.

[doobiesz]

To be honest, as a Laker fan I would prefer to see Cleveland. We match up great against there front line and back court, and quite frankly Orlando is a nightmare team to defend.

They have Howard controlling the paint and two 6'10 dead eye shooters than can spread the floor, creat shots for others, or light you up themselves. Really the only sizeable advantage the Lakers have over Orlando is back court play, and thats assuming Nelson stays hurt.

Either way, were in for some GREAT basketball

[doobiesz]

however, if there is an undoing to this magic team it will be the three point shot.

As the saying goes, you live by the three and die by the three.

[bashmo]

You tell em man the ORLANDO MAGIC WILL TAKE CLEVELAND AND THEN TAKE WHATEVER TEAM FROM DENVER LA....IM TELLIN YOU, WE HAVE THE MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND SKILL TO BEAT LEBRON, AND KOBE IF IT HAS TO HAPPEN. FEEL THE MAGIC PEOPLE!!!

[vccstudents]

I'm a Magic season ticket holder, and I'll say this. If Orlando doesn't win Game 2, I won't bet on them to beat LA. in this series. They'd have to win all 3 in Orlando if they're down 0-2 and then take 1 in LA. That's only happened once when Dallas choked against Miami three years ago. If Orlando has any hope at all, they have to win it in Orlando. LA's just that good. They proved it in Game 1. I hope I'm wrong.

I'm going to Game 3 dressed like Jack Nicholson!

[liweiwu007]

dude man i am sorry what i said about the lakers. to be honest i want to see kobe and lebron in the finals. and this coming from a magic fan. the lakers-cavs series will be the most watched finals in nba history. it's just unbelievable those two players' will and desire to win.

[doobiesz]

Being a Laker fan for so long, I understand we as fans suck for the most part. So I understand where the hate comes from.

A lot of things can happen in these two series, so we'll have to see. I expect it to be a crazy couple of weeks.

and that and 1 layup by Bron at the end of the game was bullshit. Great finish, but a bad, bad call. Maybe in the reg season, but no way in the conf. finals.

peace

[RUDOLPHLYRICS]

derrick coleman was rookie of the year and the nets had some good runs with him, kenny anderson, chris morris and for a lil while with drazen petrovich. wasn't a bad pick at all. coleman was an all star and top pf in the league.

[pochie15]

THATS WHY ROCKETS ROCK HARD!!

[raider8sox]

These moments are the reason why I love This Game!!!...

[astrosfan611]

What is the name of this song?

[gothatway09]

Ralph Sampson was the #1 pick in the NBA draft back in 1983, he was projected to be a superstar player, and in his early years he actually lived up to some of that hype. The Rockets got the #1 pick in 1984 as well, and took Hakeem Olajuwon, who really was a superstar and had far more heart and determination in him. Sampson just didn't have it in him, and his career gave way to injuries (echoes of present day overhyped Rocket Tracy McGrady). The Rockets got rid of Sampson in 1987.

[happygrass5]

bs bs bs

[domi15]

i never heard anything abaut this Samson.

is he alive?

[MJohnnyboy]

yup, Ralph Sampson. Great player hampered by injuries and was also really skinny.

[mister528]

Do you know how much that has to suck right-there, as a laker

[isaacbai]

Cooper was upset

[jaboo82681]

COOPER = OWNED @ 0:17

[caff409]

Rodney McCray was a great player. It's a real shame that they don't talk about how great a player he was.

[obrike]

Rockets had a chance to draft Drexler...took McCray instead...one of the biggest draft blunders ever. Hakeem and Drexler would have owned Jordan's Bulls in the 90s

[SBlodg78]

07-Trailblazers take Greg Oden over Kevin Durnt

[wizz6]

rockets are the best by wooping the lakers

[EssentialClassic]

One of my favorite plays.

[RobOnDaCob]

That's an insane shot.

[NBaBall3r26]

Rockets got lucky & they still lose in the finals